NFL’s only four-time MVP has the most 12-win seasons (nine) and 10-win seasons (12) in league history at his position. Career production in Thursday games: 8-1 record, .708 completion percentage, 26 touchdown passes (five interceptions) and 123.2 passer rating.

Did you know: Manning and his boss, Broncos executive John Elway, were Heisman Trophy runners-up. Manning was in 1997, Elway in 1982.

No. 21 RB Ronnie Hillman

Height: 5-10. Weight: 195. Age: 21.

Season: Second. College: San Diego State.

Set a Broncos postseason rookie record with 22 carries (for 83 yards) in the playoff loss to Baltimore. Longest run last season was a 31-yard gallop against New Orleans.

Did you know: Hillman played on a youth football team in Los Angeles that was coached by rapper Snoop Dogg.

Twitter: @MrHillman2U

No. 83 WR Wes Welker

Height: 5-9. Weight: 185. Age: 32.

Season: 10th. College: Texas Tech.

Made 672 catches with New England from 2007-12, the most productive six-season stretch by a receiver in NFL history. Had a 99-yard touchdown play at Miami in September 2011.

Did you know: Welker, the only player in NFL history with five 100-catch seasons, wasn’t drafted and was cut by the first team (San Diego) that signed him.

Twitter: @WesWelker

No. 81 TE Joel Dreessen

Height: 6-4. Weight: 245. Age: 31.

Season: Eighth. College: Colorado State.

Made a career-high 15 starts and 41 catches last season, his first with the Broncos. Three years ago, while with Houston, made four catches for 106 yards against the Jets. They drafted him in 2005 and cut him a year later.

Did you know: Fort Morgan High School graduate played 45 games for CSU, all of them starts.

Twitter: @JoelDreessen

No. 88 WR Demaryius Thomas

Height: 6-3. Weight: 229. Age: 25.

Season: Fourth. College: Georgia Tech.

Only players in Broncos history with more reception yards in their first three years with the team: Brandon Marshall (2,899) and Lionel Taylor (2,411). Thomas has 2,268, averaging 15.3 yards on 148 catches.

Did you know: Christmas is Thomas’ birthday.

Twitter: @DemaryiusT

No. 87 WR Eric Decker

Height: 6-3. Weight: 214. Age: 26.

Season: Fourth. College: Minnesota.

His 22 touchdown catches rank No. 1 in Broncos history for a player’s first three seasons with the team. Had 85 catches for 1,064 yards and 13 touchdowns last season.

Did you know: Decker wears No. 87 because he was the 87th player selected in the 2010 draft, he was born in 1987 and he admires former Broncos wideout Ed McCaffery, who also wore No. 87.

Twitter: @EricDecker87

No. 78 LT Ryan Clady

Height: 6-6. Weight: 315. Age: 27.

Season: Sixth. College: Boise State.

Only the fourth offensive lineman in NFL history to be selected to three or more Pro Bowls and be a starter in every game (80) during his first five seasons. The others: Joe Thomas, Nick Mangold and Joe DeLamielleure.

Did you know: Clady allowed only one sack last season, a league-best performance among offensive tackles who made 16 starts.

Twitter: @Ryan Clady

No. 68 LG Zane Beadles

Height: 6-4. Weight: 305. Age: 26.

Season: Fourth. College: Utah.

Made 40 starts at left guard and eight at right tackle in his first three seasons with the Broncos. Gave up only one sack last season and picked up his first Pro Bowl berth. Also the only Denver player who took every offensive snap last season.

Did you know: Beadles’ stepfather, Joe Legerski, is the women’s basketball coach at Wyoming. Beadles was born in Casper.

Twitter: @ZaneBeadles

No. 66 C Manny Ramirez

Height: 6-3. Weight: 320. Age: 30.

Season: Seventh. College: Texas Tech.

Has made 26 starts in his NFL career, including 11 last season with the Broncos, all at guard. Cut by Detroit in 2010, a year after making 12 starts for the Lions.

Did you know: Ramirez was a four-year starter in college.

No. 65 RG Louis Vasquez

Height: 6-5. Weight: 335. Age: 26.

Season: Fifth. College: Texas Tech.

According to Stats Inc., has allowed only 11 sacks in his NFL career and never has been called for a penalty as an offensive player. Third-round draft pick in 2009 by the Chargers, who let him become a free agent this year.

Did you know: Vasquez debuted by making the league’s all-rookie team as a 14-game starter.

No. 74 RT Orlando Franklin

Height: 6-7. Weight: 320. Age: 25.

Season: Third. College: Miami.

Played in 32 games, all starts, his first two seasons. The only right tackle in Broncos history to be a full-season starter as a rookie. Second-round pick in the 2011 draft.

Did you know: Franklin was born in Jamaica. His family moved to Toronto when he was 3. He played high school football in Toronto and Delray Beach, Fla.

Twitter: @OFranklin74

Reserves

No. 2 QB Zac Dysert

Height: 6-3. Weight: 221. Age: 23.

Season: Rookie. College: Miami (Ohio).

Seventh-round draft pick threw for 12,013 yards and 73 touchdowns in his college career.

Twitter: @ZDysert4

No. 12 WR Andre Caldwell

Height: 6-1. Weight: 200. Age: 28.

Season: Sixth. College: Florida.

Hasn’t come close to matching his 2009 season with Cincinnati: 51 catches, 432 yards, three touchdowns.

Twitter: @ACaldwell17

No. 17 QB Brock Osweiler

Height: 6-8. Weight: 240. Age: 22.

Season: Second. College: Arizona State.

Second-round pick in the 2012 draft is projected as Peyton Manning’s successor, whenever that time comes.

No. 27 RB Knowshon Moreno

Height: 5-11. Weight: 220. Age: 26.

Season: Fifth. College: Georgia.

First player drafted by the Josh McDaniels regime, going 12th overall in 2009.

Twitter: @KnowshonMoreno

No. 28 RB Montee Ball

Height: 5-10. Weight: 215. Age: 22.

Season: Rookie. College: Wisconsin.

Second-round draft pick, consensus All-American and only player in major-college history to score 500 points.

Twitter: @MonteeBall

No. 39 RB C.J. Anderson

Height: 5-8. Weight: 224. Age: 22.

Season: Rookie. College: California.

Undrafted even though he averaged 5.7 yards per carry in his two seasons in Berkeley.

Twitter: @CJAndersonRB9

No. 60 C Steve Vallos

Height: 6-3. Weight: 310. Age: 29.

Season: Seventh. College: Wake Forest.

Has made nine starts — and been called for only two penalties in his NFL career, according to Stats Inc.

No. 72 RG John Moffitt

Height: 6-4. Weight: 319. Age: 26.

Season: Third. College: Wisconsin.

Blocked for Montee Ball in college as an All-American in 2010.

No. 73 LG Chris Kuper

Height: 6-4. Weight: 303. Age: 30.

Season: Eighth. College: North Dakota.

Former fifth-round draft pick has made 78 starts for the Broncos. But his career has been knocked off track by injuries.

No. 75 OT Chris Clark

Height: 6-5. Weight: 305. Age: 27.

Season: Fifth. College:Southern Miss.

Made six starts for the Broncos two years ago.

No. 80 TE Julius Thomas

Height: 6-5. Weight: 250. Age: 25.

Season: Third. College: Portland St.

Now that he’s healthy, former college basketball player will play a big role. Likely starter in Week 1 if Joel Dreessen (knee) is unable to play.

Twitter: @Julius_Thomas

No. 84 TE Jacob Tamme

Height: 6-3. Weight: 230. Age: 28.

Season: Sixth. College: Kentucky.

Has a lot of history with Manning, including 52 catches last season.

Twitter: @JacobTamme

No. 85 TE Virgil Green

Height: 6-5. Weight: 225. Age: 25.

Season: Third. College: Nevada.

Former seventh-round draft pick has made five starts and eight receptions (10.9-yard average) in two years with Denver.

Special teams

No. 5 PK Matt Prater

Height: 5-10. Weight: 195. Age: 29.

Season: Seventh. College: Central Florida.

Has been cut by Detroit, Miami and Atlanta, yet is one of the best kickers in Broncos history. Has converted 80.6 percent of his field-goal attempts with Denver, starting with the 2007 season. Coming off a 133-point season, a Broncos record for a kicker.

Did you know: Prater is 15-of-20 on field-goal attempts of 50 yards or longer. That percentage (.750) ranks second in the league since the 1970 merger, behind Robbie Gould (.765).

No. 4 P Britton Colquitt

Height: 6-3. Weight: 205. Age: 28.

Season: Fifth. College: Tennessee.

Cut by the Broncos on Sept. 1, 2009, as an undrafted rookie and returned to the team Dec. 30, 2009. Now he’s the NFL’s best-paid player at his position. Has career averages of 46.1 yards (gross) and 39.5 (net).

Did you know: Colquitt and older brother Dustin (Kansas City) are the first siblings to punt in the NFL at the same time since George and Wes McAfee in 1941.

No. 11 KR Trindon Holliday

Height: 5-5. Weight: 170. Age: 27.

Season: Fourth. College: LSU.

Cut four times by Houston. Only player in NFL history with more than one return for a touchdown in the same playoff game. Scored on a 90-yard punt return and on a 104-yard kickoff return in the Broncos’ playoff loss to Baltimore last season. Produced the longest play in Broncos history last November, scoring on a 105-yard kickoff return at Cincinnati.

Did you know: Holliday is a former NCAA champion in the 100-meter dash, winning the 2009 title in 10.0 seconds.

Twitter: @Mimime11

No. 46 LS Aaron Brewer

Height: 6-5. Weight: 230. Age: 23.

Season: Second. College: San Diego State.

Won the job at training camp last year as an undrafted rookie. Since the start of his college career, has played in every game he has been available to play.

Did you know: Brewer was an all-conference high school linebacker in Fullerton, Calif.

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